Enjoy this holiday season

Christmas is one of the most stressful times of the year for a myriad of reasons, but the recent mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut that took the lives of 20 children and six adults has most likely increased stress levels among many Louisa County parents.

It is difficult to imagine what the 20-plus families in Connecticut, who have forever had their Christmas holiday turned upside down and inside out, are going through.

There will be time to debate gun control, video game violence, mental healthcare and whether teachers should, or as State Sen. Bob Marshall has proposed, require teachers to carry concealed weapons in school.

But last year’s earthquake and the recent shooting in Connecticut are an all-too vivid reminder that tragedies can happen anywhere, at anytime, to anyone.

As Sheriff Ashland Fortune told supervisors Monday, “We hope and pray that nothing like that ever happens in Louisa County Public Schools, but we’re not exempt.”

So, as you’re spending time with family and friends during the Christmas holiday, do not forget to tell them how important they are in your life.

We at The Central Virginian would like to wish you and your family a safe, stress-free holiday season.